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Session Proposals






Key Selection Criteria

  • Clear expertise in the topic proposed.
  • Proven, dynamic presentation skills and experience speaking in front of large audiences.
  • Content pertinent to customer service, IT support, and customer technical support executives/managers that addresses the most pressing issues regarding best practices, processes, technology infrastructure, and people management.
  • Proposal content emphasizes practical, proven, how-to ideas rather than theory.
  • Specific content for experienced support professionals and mature support organizations, rather than general, introductory overview content, receives higher consideration.
  • Fresh, timely content, free of promotional material.
  • Attach any materials that will enhance your proposal and improve your chances of selection.
  • Provide complete information for every proposal element. Only complete proposals will be recorded in the database and be considered for selection. All sections of the proposal must be completed in full. That includes complete information for each speaker and co-speaker and references with all contact information for both speakers. Incomplete proposals will be returned and not kept on record.

Who May Submit Proposals

  • All customer and technical support industry professionals – practitioners, consultants, professional speakers, trainers, industry analysts – are invited to submit proposals. HDI members receive higher consideration than non-members.
  • Speaker bureaus and PR agencies may submit proposals on behalf of your clients. However, you must include all speaker information in the proposal. The nominated speaker must confirm directly with the program chair that he/she is aware of the submitted proposal and committed to the event if selected.
  • Event exhibitors and solutions providers may nominate your customers and/or your own service and support practitioners to present best practices, case studies, or related industry topics.
  • Marketing and sales managers from within the exhibitors’ and solutions providers’ organizations will not be considered for faculty positions. The product showcase offering, a value-added option for exhibitors, is open to any company representative or customer. Refer to Cheri Bruno, HDI Expo Sales Director, for details, cbruno@thinkhdi.com.

Rules of Engagement

  • You will receive a faculty packet that includes all the logistics planning details, deadlines, and speaker benefits about 4 weeks after your selection. You will sign a faculty confirmation form indicating your commitment to the event.
  • If you are selected, you are expected to fulfill your commitment to present the content according to the session descriptions and specifiers you propose below. Specifically, if you submit a topic geared for mature organizations or experienced support professionals, you will be evaluated by the attendees that you met that expectation.
  • Speakers are selected, not companies. If you must cancel your participation due to an emergency, HDI reserves the right to replace the canceled session with a comparable topic and speaker on the waiting list. However, HDI will work with you to identify a suitable substitute speaker as the first course of action.
  • Each conference session offers one complimentary conference registration, valued over $1600. If a co-presenter qualifies to participate in the session, another complimentary conference registration may be offered. Travel and hotel accommodations are the speaker's responsibility.
  • In a panel discussion format, the moderator and panelists are generally selected from faculty members who are already slated for the program. However, panel discussion proposals will be considered. The panel moderator receives a complimentary conference registration. Panelists are offered a discounted registration rate of $995. Travel and hotel accommodations are the moderator's and panelists’ responsibility.
  • Breakout sessions are 60 minutes long, including Q&A time. PC-based presentations are required; multimedia presentations are preferred; no overhead transparency or slide presentations are accepted.

How Your Session Will Be Evaluated

The conference attendees will evaluate your session along the following criteria, on a 5-point scale. In order to be considered for subsequent events, you must receive a minimum overall rating equal to the average score for that year’s group, usually a minimum of 4.2 overall.

Content – Attendees select sessions based upon the descriptive information you provide in the conference proceedings materials. The items below reflect that you deliver the content you commit to, have the expertise you claim, and include specific, how-to information they can use.
  • The session content was what I thought it would be.
  • The session provided useful information.
  • The conference proceedings materials for this session were useful.
  • The speaker displayed a strong knowledge of the subject.
  • I can apply what I learned to my current job/profession.
Performance – The items below reflect that you have command of the platform, are well-prepared for your session, keep their attention, and fulfill your commitment for non-promotionalism.
  • The speaker has a strong ability to communicate ideas.
  • The speaker handled audience interactions and Q&A effectively.
  • I recommend this speaker for other events.
  • Did the speaker inappropriately promote his/her company’s products/services?